Letter to the editor: Vaccinate infants

National Infant Immunization Week (April 25 to May 2) was a great success and a reminder that you can shield your children from vaccine-preventable diseases.

About 1 million kids in the U.S. are not fully immunized by age 2. Our goal is that every child will be immunized "on time, every time" by age 2. Don't wait until a child goes to school to catch up on vaccinations - you would be shocked to know how vulnerable your infant or baby is without the recommended immunizations. Older brothers and sisters, relatives or even a trip to the grocery store can expose an infant to disease. By boosting babies' immune systems through vaccination, they are protected from what used to be common childhood diseases.

Family physicians play a prominent role in disease prevention, and we urge you to continue immunizing your child. There are 14 diseases you can protect your child against by immunizing them on time before they turn 2. We have seen a great reduction in many diseases, and we want to continue that trend.